It was a casual football conversation, about this being the Year of the Quarterback. Then Tim Tebow's name came up and the football enthusiast beside me said, "He's good. He just needs to drop the religion stuff."
Except that, to Tebow, the Denver Broncos quarterback, religion isn't stuff.
His faith is who the man is, even more than his ability to run the football or rally his team from a fourth-quarter deficit.
The notion that anyone can simply segregate his religious beliefs - slice them off from the rest of his identity - is a patronizing thought. The idea that Tebow should do it because his beliefs make others uncomfortable is truly an arrogant one.
So what is it about Tebow, his playing style or his personal religious practice that some people find so upsetting? Why is it that a player who, in another age, would have been hailed as a clean-scrubbed role model now faces skepticism, even derision?
Today professional athletes are far more likely to make news for carrying guns, slapping girlfriends or using drugs than they are for thanking God or praying on the sidelines. Yet they are quietly endured or forgiven, while Tebow is parodied and mocked.
Tebow has never hidden his religious beliefs. An NCAA ban on putting letters or symbols in players' eye black is called the Tebow Rule, because the former University of Florida Gator used to display Bible verses there. Yet it's hardly fair to say that, as a pro, he's exactly forced his beliefs down anyone's throat.
In a game where defensive players throw quarterbacks to the ground then prance above them, and receivers taunt defenders with salsa dances in the end zone, Tebow's quick kneel on the sidelines or index finger pointed skyward hardly seems provoking.
He's not stopping the game. He's not prancing for TV cameras. Cynics may believe he's posturing for the crowd, but maybe it's just the opposite - maybe he's forgetting all about the crowd and expressing his faith in a way that seems natural to him. How unthinkable would it be if he saw his audience as ... God?
His faith, in fact, may be the source of the traits fans admire most - like his humility or his sterling work ethic - and may have as much to do with a perfect touchdown pass or a Tebow run as does his coaching.
They are simply part of who he is.
And therein lies the secret to seeing the best of Tim Tebow. He is a bird of a different feather; let him be.
Like it or not, the Broncos' success has come by accepting that fact. Yeah, his passing game is weak and sometimes awful. He needs more time to read a defense or find the open man. He's got to be more decisive.
But Tebow is incredibly mobile. He's ridiculously strong. And - when you let Tebow be Tebow - he's strikingly confident, and inspires the same in his teammates.
Perhaps the Broncos will crash by building their offense around Tebow's unlikely style. It's also the only way they'll soar.
So on the field, accept Tebow's unorthodox approach. And off the field, accept his orthodox faith.
If you can't, then keep your gaze on the gridiron.
If he's not hurling his helmet after a failed possession, or berating a teammate or lambasting a coach - and he's not - then what Tim Tebow does on the sidelines should be purely his own business.
Krista Ramsey's column appears Friday and Sunday. Email kramsey@enquirer.com.
*Article copied from Cincinnati.com.
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